Hello, I hope that you had a really good Christmas and New Year.
We had fun over the Christmas period and for me it was a wonderful experience to join in the silly games and to actually hear most of the jokes and the general banter that I so often missed in the past! One of the groups was very large and I still managed well. It was a very happy time!!
I didn’t do so well over New Year but will work to overcome this blip. I realise that just as with lipreading, there are optimum circumstances needed for me to hear well. I still need a well-lit room -to combine lipreading with hearing; I like to be sitting near people, ideally at a table so it is easy to hear and see everyone. When we are spread around a large room I don’t function so well. Tiredness makes it more difficult to concentrate and so to hear well. As time goes on I will develop strategies to deal with this but at the moment I’m still finding my feet. I also realise, that in a large group, I can hear people on my right-hand side much easiermore easily than on my left. I need to consider whether I should have a second cochlear implant. I going to talk to people who have two implants to gain from their experiences. It’s a big decision!
Today I have been practising listening to a DVD – no lipreading. It is quite difficult. I also need to practise, if possible, listening and trying to make sense of what I hear when people are laughing as they speak. I'm sure this will be very challenging.
I have some events coming up that will test how well I’m doing. We are going to London for a social event on Friday. I think it will be in a pub, so I will need to concentrate. Then we have visitors over the weekend. Then it is back to work with my lipreading support groups. Time seems to go so quickly.
Well I will wish you all very a Happy New Year with Good health, Happiness, Prosperity and improved Hearing.